Fred Barton News

On Saturday, October 12th, noted arranger and producer, Fred Barton, whose work is heard regularly in concert halls around the country, is celebrating composer Richard Rodgers on the Schimmel stage. Fred Barton, his 12-piece orchestra and star-studded cast of performers are back to celebrate the legendary Richard Rodgers! The extraordinary icon's career spanned six decades, during which he composed 40 Broadway musicals. Fred's tribute to the versatility of Richard Rodgers will prove a revelation to those familiar with his biggest hits: Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Carousel, and The Sound of Music. You'll hear Richard Rodgers from his razz-ma-tazz roots to his later masterworks, created with a number of star lyricists. Join us as we journey from Broadway to Hollywood and back, celebrating the incredible music and tales of Richard Rodgers!

The Michael Schimmel Center for the Performing Arts at Pace University today announced its 2013|2014 Pace Presents Season, under the Executive Direction of Martin I. Kagan, is a world-class performing arts series with an emphasis on music superstars from around the globe, charismatic and innovative dance performances, stunning opera stars in recital and spectacular contemporary cabaret. The Pace Presents season begins on September 21 with a big band tribute to the late, great lounge legend Esquivel from Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica, culminating onJune 1 with the reunion performance of Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham'sdance/theatre piece From the Horse's Mouth.

Summer Concerts on the Hudson will present a one-night-only celebration of the Great White Way on Monday, August 26th at 7 PM. Featured performers include: Beth Leavel (Tony Award, The Drowsy Chaperone), Vivian Reed (Tony nominee, Bubbling Brown Sugar and Marie Christine), Joshua Henry (Tony nominee, The Scottsboro Boys), John Bolton (A Christmas Story), Max Von Essen (Evita), Tari Kelly (Anything Goes), Jeff McCarthy (Beauty And The Beast), and Patti Murin (Lysistrata Jones).

The Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation (APACF) (http://www.apacf.org) has announced that DAMON KIRSCHE will join the lineup of stellar entertainment at the third annual GREAT GATSBY WEEKEND which is to be held on August 24 & 25 at Fox Pointe Manor and the Lost World Estate, the magnificent estate residences of Dr. Howard and Linda Knohl and Patrick and Jolynn Mahoney in Anaheim Hills.

I still remember seeing my first Broadway show as a child. It had everything possible: drama, comedy, and, most importantly, depth and a broad spectrum of emotion. Shows weren't pigeon-holed into one genre or another; they were expansive and beautiful works that could elicit every possible feeling from the audience and leave you feeling elated, as if you had been a part of the magical journey of the characters on stage. Nowadays, it seems as though many of the plays and musicals lack the dimension of the great shows of yesterdays and leave the audiences craving more. Whatever happened to the gripping stories that could make you laugh, cry, loathe and love all in the same two hours? While they may have gone astray in the last few years, there is finally a shining light on Broadway's horizon that can restore the lackluster Great White Way to its former glory, and 'One for My Baby' will be that beacon.

Seth Ward Pyatt will present the New York City premiere of 'All the Single Ladies: A Bitter Suite,' a new musical revue, which debuted earlier this spring in St. Louis, MO. The cabaret will play the Upper West Side's Underground Lounge at 955 West End Avenue on Thursday, May 16 at 9pm. This whiskey sour of an evening is a love letter to all of us who have been single, are single, or just wish we were.

On Saturday, March 9, noted arranger and producer, Fred Barton, whose work is heard regularly in concert halls around the country, is celebrating composer Jule Styne on the Schimmel stage. With the scores of such Broadway classics as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy and Funny Girl to his credit, composer Jule Styne ranks as one of the undisputed architects of the American musical theater. In addition to his legendary work in the theater Styne has also made Academy Award-winning contributions to the American Hollywood songbook writing songs for films such as Anchors Aweigh,Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Funny Girl, Funny Lady and Three Coins in a Fountain.

If you're a cabaret performer thinking about staging a musical comedy theme show, or even if you're just a cabaret fan who appreciates a thoroughly entertaining show on multiple levels, you should try to squeeze yourself into The Duplex on Wednesday night at 7 pm to see Adam Shapiro's encore performance of his Guide to the Perfect Breakup, which is also a textbook on how to create the almost perfect musical comedy cabaret show. With the guidance and support of Director Peter Napolitano and Musical Director Barry Levitt, Shapiro has crafted a structurally intricate yet seamless show about the evolution of romantic relationships-no matter what your gender-which is also funny without being sarcastic, biting without being bitchy, and tender without being cloying. And it showcases the talents of a cuddly teddy bear of a performer, who possesses the kind of solid singing, acting, and comedic chops that make him a young, rising cabaret star.

Shana Farr, who last month won The Mabel Mercer Foundation's 2012 Julie Wilson Award as "a cabaret singer who is a rising star," has just completed her debut CD, titled Shana Farr: Out Of The Shadows , which will be introduced at a CD release party and performance at The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South, in New York City tonight, November 30, at 9 PM. Ms. Farr is backed by a trio comprised of Music Director Jon Weber (piano), Adam Fisher (cello) and Dan Levinson (clarinet).

After receiving more than 3,000 nominations once BroadwayWorld.com announced it's first-ever New York Cabaret Awards in early October, BWW is now pleased to announce it's final nominations ballot in 20 categories. Now it's time for all you cabaret performers and fans to vote for the best singers, musicians and shows of the year. Voting will continue until December 31 and winners will be announced in early January.

Shana Farr, who last month won The Mabel Mercer Foundation's 2012 Julie Wilson Award as "a cabaret singer who is a rising star," has just completed her debut CD, titled Shana Farr: Out Of The Shadows , which will be introduced at a CD release party and performance at The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South, in New York City on Friday, November 30, at 9 PM. Ms. Farr is backed by a trio comprised of Music Director Jon Weber (piano), Adam Fisher (cello) and Dan Levinson (clarinet).

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced that Drama Desk-nominated actress and acclaimed cabaret performer Christina Bianco will perform More Diva Moments: Songs That Made Divas Out Of The Women Who Sang Them! on Monday, October 29 at 7pm.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced that Drama Desk-nominated actress and acclaimed cabaret performer Christina Bianco will perform More Diva Moments: Songs That Made Divas Out Of The Women Who Sang Them! on Monday, October 29 at 7pm.

Composer/lyricist Charles Bloom's debut recording, titled Music and Lyrics by Charles Bloom: IN HERE was just released by Sonic Landscapes. Check out photos from the release party below!

One for My Baby, set to a score of some three dozen Harold Arlen classics and billed as "a song-and-dance celebration ofbig-city nightlife at the end of World War II," will have a private, industry-only workshop at the New 42nd Street Studios, 229 West 42 Street, tonight, October 11 and October 12.

One For My Baby is a song-and-dance celebration of big-city nightlife at the end of World War II with direction and choreography by Scott Thompson, who co-authored the book with musical arranger/musical director, Fred Barton. One for My Baby promises such classics as 'Stormy Weather,' 'Get Happy,' 'The Man that Got Away,' 'Come Rain or Come Shine,' 'It's Only a Paper Moon,' 'That Old Black Magic' and 'Blues in the Night."

Tony Nominee Stephen Bogardus (Falsettos, Love! Valor! Compassion!) Luba Mason (Chicago, How to Succeed), Anastasia Barzee (Jekyll & Hyde, Miss Saigon) and 25 others have joined two-time Tony Nominee Vivian Reed (Bubbling Brown Sugar, Marie Christine) in the workshop cast of One for My Baby, the new book musical with a Harold Arlen score.

On Friday, October 19, noted arranger and producer, Fred Barton, whose work is heard regularly in concert halls around the country, is bringing the music of Broadway and the American Songbook showmanship to the Schimmel stage. The legendary Harold Arlen won the world over for his score to The Wizard of Oz, and was the composer of countless Broadway and Hollywood songs that will be brought to life backed by a full 12-piece orchestra and stars of the Broadway stage.